Pan Am Just Keeps Coming Back

MIAMI – The late Sylvester “Pat” Weaver, the innovative NBC president responsible for the Today and Tonight shows, had a saying about Today. It was a show you could not kill, no matter what. Bad hosts, bad producers, off stories, competition..no worries! It was such a good idea that it was self correcting. (Sidenote: I wish I had the exact quote. I think it appears in Robert Metz’ excellent 1977 history of the Today Show, but the book is not indexed so its hopeless to get the words exactly.)

Ditto with the brand Pan Am, which seems to keep resurfacing no matter what happens. In the 25 years since the airline’s heyday (and the dreadful Lockerbie bombing) the brand continues its long life span through bankruptcy and all manner of failure.

In the last two years, ABC television launched the Pan Am TV show to only moderate success. While that venture ended, the brand continues to resurface, this time with a new Pan Am boutique in Miami’s Coconut Grove. Pictured here, the store as seen on their Facebook page. The store is not open yet; follow the Facebook page for exact details. It apparently has a small flight cabin inside the store. Nifty.

At the company’s bankruptcy in the early 90s, Delta kept Pan Am’s Atlantic routes and Worldport at John F. Kennedy Airport, and the Pan Am Shuttle, which was a separate entity. The name was the only thing left. It was then valued at $1,325,000 at bankruptcy auction.

Today, a group is trying desperately to save the Worldport at Pan Am. The effort deserves support.

Read the History of the Pan Am brand here.

Author

  • Garland Pollard

    J. Garland Pollard IV is editor/publisher of BrandlandUSA. Since 2006, the website BrandlandUSA.com has chronicled the history and business of America’s great brands.

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